The cheer team, established in New Ulm in the spring of 2023, took third at Nationals this past weekend in the Division 3 X-Small category.

They competed at Central Bank Center against teams from Minnesota, Ohio and Michigan. The New Ulm Glitz were also ranked amongst all of Division 3 X-Small teams that competed at the event, receiving fourth out of 16 teams.

Under the coaching of head coach Kayla Louden and assistant coach Karina Wyman, the 9- to 14-year-old cheer team dazzled at the Minnesota state competition last fall to qualify for Nationals at Central Bank Arena, making history with the program’s first-ever trip.

“It was super exciting,” Louden said of team earning the Nationals bid. “It was kind of nerve-racking at first because me, I’ve never been a coach for a team that has ever attended Nationals and I was nervous about the fact that I didn’t know if all my girls would be able to go and travel, but it was super exciting. When we found out, the girls were all in shock, I was in shock. They call it a bid … so we got a bid and qualified for Nationals and I kind of made that choice if we wanted to go or not, but I was in awe. It was definitely worth it.”

Submitted photo The New Ulm Glitz cheer team performs their routine at the 2024 Champion Force Cheerleading Nationals this past Saturday at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky. The team took third overall in the Division 3 X-Small category.

The New Ulm Glitz also had zero deductions from their routine in their third-place Nationals appearance, putting another feather in their caps as the program took another milestone step for cheer in New Ulm.

Louden, who was a competitive dancer growing up, originally was an assistant cheer coach in Mankato. With Champion Force Athletics branching out, a head coaching opportunity opened up for Louden with New Ulm’s new cheer program.

Champion Force Athletics offers cheer classes across the country for all ages and skill levels. Practices are held once a week to teach athletes the fundamentals of cheer and dance. They host several events and competitions for athletes to showcase their new skills.

Nationals are held each summer for the higher divisions.

Louden said she was happy to see her girls take third on such a big stage, especially with how new the New Ulm program is.

“I was very happy with the girls,” Louden said. “Obviously they don’t fully understand because it’s their first year, but it was just an achievement for them to even get there. So getting third, some of those teams they were against have been together way longer than the girls that I coach, so that’s what’s really cool about it.”

Louden said while her girls can be very shy, they’re also outgoing and always ready to go when it’s time to practice.

“They’re very shy but then they’re also outgoing,” she said. “They’re very positive girls and they’re very good together. They communicate well, there’s no drama … they’re just a good set of girls that are very positive.”

As the New Ulm cheer team enjoys their medals and experience from Nationals, they will look to have repeat success again this fall when the program resumes in September.